8/30/2016
ALTOONA, Pa., Aug. 30, 2016 – UPMC Mercy provided $48 million in IRS-defined “community benefits” last year, an average of $131,500 a day for programs and services to improve the health and quality of life of all the communities UPMC Mercy serves. The $48 million total includes:
• $25.8 million in charity care and unreimbursed amounts for programs for the poor
• $4.2 million in community health programs and donations
• $18.1 million in medical research and education
UPMC Mercy’s contributions were part of UPMC’s $892 million in total community benefits the health system provided during fiscal year 2015 and published recently in the Community Benefits Report 2015-2016 . The report shows UPMC provided nearly 70 percent of western Pennsylvania’s charity care, which is more than double all other hospitals combined, and far exceeds UPMC’s 40 percent share of hospital patients in the region.
UPMC’s $892 million in total community benefits includes:
• $313 million in charity care and unreimbursed amounts for programs for the poor
• $217 million in community health programs and donations
• $362 million for medical research and education
“UPMC Mercy has been and will continue to be a vital resource not only for local Uptown residents, but also for many communities surrounding the city,” said Michael Grace, president, UPMC Mercy. “As the region’s only remaining Catholic hospital, caring for our community is at the heart of what we do and we serve some of the most vulnerable residents of the city.”
Some of the hospital’s major community health programs and donations throughout the year involve numerous targeted health screenings, educational programs and health fairs, transportation programs, support groups, and food banks.
Members of the UPMC Mercy executive team voluntarily serve on many local boards, such as the Brashear Association, Catholic Charities, the Hill House, Thelma Lovettec YMCA, and Uptown Partners – all as part of the hospital’s mission to meet the health needs and other needs of the local area.
Meanwhile, UPMC Mercy has continued to advance as a tertiary care hospital with a wide range of clinical specialties including neurology and neurosurgery, advanced stroke care, cardiology and cardiothoracic surgery, diabetes and wound care, orthopaedics , primary care, and obstetrics and gynecology. UPMC Mercy is the region’s only combined Level I Trauma and Burn center, the city’s only obstetrics trauma hospital, and serves as the hub of the UPMC Rehabilitation Institute. The hospital also operates outpatient facilities, same-day surgery centers, and urgent care facilities in many neighborhoods, including South Side, Uptown, Green Tree, South Hills and Brentwood.
UPMC Mercy has a powerful effect on the local economy with a total annual economic impact of nearly $789 million.